Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1887-06-02
Bl EIEAi

b1 III RAJ
Along the river and harbor banks, the
divide between wilderness and water arr
found the potato holes or cfchss a> the
French call them of the pioneer settlers.
The only caght. III the town unde-p"ilel by
time. i, in the side hill 10 the north "f
Timothy Finu'- harm. 1t j, said to have
been constructed by Matthew Pattcn l22
ycar- ago.
Most Of these primitive cellars art half
fllcd it'll stone chimney ruins. with brick
in none and nothing in few Those hay
iu2 nothing probably had 'catted' chin
n,y> built birds nest fashion. of sticks
and mud The use of Gated chimneys
was prohibited BY law ,as they 50 increased
the danger from lire. especially when the
roofs were thatched. The first house built
by the Pilgrims at Plymouth. by reason Of
it, stick and mud chimney was burnt with
+ in month Of it, being finished.
We've wintcrcd and ''springed out" in
the SCOT and dense smoke of stone Chin
uey. and know by months Of experience %
the sunocate. stihe, smother and choke.
when the wind eportiyely blew down the
chimney.
The first sites selected for habitaton
were the points head-lands, knobs and hill
locks along the ,hore-liue. Here the set
tiers. facing the ocean, could see out.
Before them were the clam flats and Hound
er beds, from whence came their subsis-
tence to defy the wolf of starvation Says
an old settlers son "0ur meat victuals Vas
wood-chuck, bear, coon, clans founders
and in the season of it, shad and salmon.
The Indians used 10 spear lots of whopping
great salmon, at HortoRs Rocks Some
times we had treat of tash (succotash)
and nDhide (nokehike). An Indian told
mother how to fix EN-"
In the design and construction of the
log-huts or wigwams. houses to the settlers,
there. was no fuss about plumbing or
drainage, while such sanitary terms as ven
tilation and sewerage were denounced as
non-understandable ''hog- latin"
1t is past finding out why the Indians
with their well worn carry over across
Newbury Neck, made no shell heaps here
like those at Lamoine and DOdge's Cove,
West Brooksville.
Elwell's entertaining History of Port
land" devotes a chapter to distinguished
Portlanders, !" who gave distinction to their
birthplace. We follow copy so far as
to devote page or two to the early set
tiers Of No. 6, who acquired local reputa-
ton. These sketches are made with as
much correctness as the material obtained,
will permit One who had glance at our
manuscript, exclaimed. Where in the
world did you find so much"
Hon Edwin Flye, Damariscotta. Jan.
Is, 1888, writes: Until yours of the oth
: was received, did not know that one OF
our name ever lived at Union river. The
register in grandfather's family bible, does
not give the names of my great grandpar-
ents Ny father, Daniel, son of Will
lam. was born in Maine, in 1870, and as
per YOUR date, East Surry must be his birth
place. The Flyes are of Norman-French
extraction" Mr. Flye, now deceased, was
} appointed in 1875 TO fill vacancy in the
House of the 44th Congress.
Jonathan Fly ~ss "Wbo made his home
Just out of reach of the oceans fOam,"
and his sons William, James and Jonathan
Jr.. were early settlers at the mouth-of-the-
river. Is it Jonathan or William whose
surname is found in the Milliken list.